WARNING: The following contains spoilers for DCeased: Dead Planet #4 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldassini, Rain Beredo and Saida Temonfonte, on sale now.
The Mobius Chair was created with the best of intentions. This cosmic throne's purpose is to acquire knowledge -- a noble pursuit. The chair's power enables its user to travel across time, space and other dimensions. Yet the knowledge and power of the Mobius Chair come with a price, taking their toll on most who sit in this awesome machine.
Throughout the DC Universe, several characters have experienced the Mobius Chair's costly power.
Mobius
The creator of his mobile throne, Mobius was a scientific genius from the anti-matter planet Qward. Mobius generally sought knowledge, but he specifically built the Mobius Chair to learn about the secrets of his universe. This quest led Mobius down a ruthless path, killing many to acquire the knowledge he desired. When Mobius finally laid eyes on his reason for existence, the Anti-Life equation, he was cursed by this knowledge. Mobius was transformed into the Anti-Monitor, the living embodiment of the Anti-Life Equation. The newborn Anti-Monitor lashed out as a result of his creation, destroying universes with his power.
Metron
Eventually, the Anti-Monitor no longer needed his chair, willingly bestowing it upon Metron of the New Gods. Metron used this chair to seek out knowledge in all its forms, traversing both space and time on his journey. Although Metron occasionally allied himself with the New Gods, the Mobius Chair's power made him a disinterested neutral party in the war between New Genesis and Apokolips. Indeed, during the "Darkseid War" saga, Metron tricked the Justice League into taking the Mobius chair from him. The New God claimed it was the only way to stop the Anti-Monitor's reign of chaos. Yet, ultimately, Metron gave up the chair out of self-interest, feeling confined by the chair and seeking freedom, with little regard for the universe's safety.
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Batman
During "Darkseid War," when Metron gave up the Mobius Chair, Batman sat on the throne, seeking the knowledge to stop the Anti-Monitor. Consequently, the Dark Knight became a New God, gaining all of the knowledge in the multi-verse. Initially, the chair had its benefits, helping the Justice League during "Darkseid War" and revealing to Batman the existence of three different Jokers. Yet the Caped Crusader became addicted to the Mobius Chair, using it to stop ordinary crime in Gotham by predicting events before they even happened. Ultimately, Hal Jordan gave Batman his Green Lantern ring, providing the World's Greatest Detective with the will to leave the chair.
Owlman
Once Batman found the strength to leave the Mobius Chair, Metron placed Owlman, the Dark Knight's Earth-3 counterpart, in the cosmic throne. Metron instructed Owlman on how to properly use the Mobius Chair, enabling the New God to gain its knowledge while remaining free from the chair's restrictions. While Metron warned Owlman against asking for too much information from the chair, the villain brushed this advice aside. Owlman arrogantly believed that his mind was far superior to Batman's, foolishly thinking he could handle its knowledge. When Owlman asked the chair for the secrets to the universe, however, he felt a startling presence: Dr. Manhattan. The godlike figure then vaporized Owlman and Metron for their use of the chair.
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Wally West
The forgotten Flash acquired the Mobius chair at the end of Flash Forward, following his mission to save multiple Earths from the darkmatter multiverse. Wally's benefactor, Tempus Fuginaut, enabled the Flash to sit in the Mobius Chair, leading Wally to discover the secrets of the post-Flashpoint DCU. Specifically, Wally was able to find out how he and his kids were removed from reality. With his newfound power, the Flash ultimately restored his children to the DCU, along with his wife, Linda Park's, memories of their marriage and children. Of course, this came at a great price, costing Wally the memories of both Linda and his kids.
Cyborg
Most recently, during the events of DCeased: Dead Planet, the heroes of this universe required the Mobius Chair's knowledge once again. The life-equation was needed to cure the "anti-living," the zombies who took over this Earth. Realizing that the life-equation was hidden within himself, Cyborg sat in the chair. Of course, the sudden surge of sheer information completely overwhelmed the cybernetic hero, nearly overloading his brain. Cyborg was eventually able to leave the chair with the knowledge he required, but at great cost: the use of the Mobius Chair awoke Darkseid, spelling trouble for the heroes.
If nothing else, the Mobius Chair proves that knowledge is indeed power. This power can be used for good, but eventually, even the noblest of souls are corrupted by its overwhelming influence.
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